The Latest from The Greatest

Story By Scott Gummer    
Photography By Howard L. Bingham

Ali retired from the ring in 1981, and for the past 17 years has lived with his wife, Lonnie, on a rural 88-acre farm an hour outside of Chicago in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

I recently visited Muhammad Ali in Villa Five at Bellagio. In Las Vegas for a charity function, Ali was in good spirits. Sporting a colorful silk shirt untucked from black cotton pants, a tidy moustache and his unmistakable smile, he greeted me with magic tricks, demonstrating surprisingly deft sleight of hand for a fighter battling Parkinson's Disease.

Despite 61 professional bouts, years of amateur contests and countless sparring sessions, his face shows neither wear nor tear, nor the age of his 61 years. His hands are soft. His movements are characteristically slow and shaky, his speech strained, but coherent, his voice hushed. Ali cracks jokes and laughs, engages and provokes. (Call him "Champ," and he retorts, "Did you say tramp?!" It's one of his favorite bits.)

Memories of your childhood. What is the first thing that comes to mind?
Christmas. Waiting for Santa Claus. Believing there was a Santa Claus. Mother and father taught us that.

What influences and what lessons did you learn from your parents
that served you well throughout your life?
Treat people right. Obey the law. Don't steal. Don't cheat and lie. They taught me that.

Ali's hometown of Louisville holds a special place in his heart, and this fall ground will be broken on the $80 million Muhammad Ali Center. More than a mere collection of boxing memorabilia, the vision is to share and celebrate the global influence Ali has achieved through peace, social responsibility, respect, and personal growth. The Ali Center is to bring forth the Ali experience, which is to take the human spirit to the highest level and overcome adversity.

What do you hope to accomplish with The Muhammad Ali Center?
Help young people learn how to make themselves the best, whatever they do, how to believe in themselves. Things I did to be who I am.

Boxing was your ticket out of Louisville, and through boxing you became a citizen of the world. It's been said that your face was, and may still be, the most recognizable in the world. Do you think that is still the case?
They say the most recognized man in the world. The world means all countries. Many great boxers, they don't reach China, Egypt, Russia. I'll tell you what it is that got me world-recognized. The word Islam. The name Muhammad. The most common name in the world, Muhammad. More kids named Muhammad than any other name in the world. Nowadays the most recognized athlete is Tiger Woods.

Have you met Tiger?
Couple times.

Forget who's the most famous or who's the most recognized or who's better at what they did-who's prettier?
Ali closes his eyes. Lifting his fingers to his face, he gently caresses his cheek, and smiles. Look. Mmmmmm. You see it? You see.

You were named "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Athlete of the Century" by USA Today, among others.
That's something. Past 100 years, not just boxing. Basketball, football, all sports, all athletes. Take another hundred years until they pick another one.

Of all the places that boxing took you around the globe, which were some of your favorite places?
No.1 - Mecca.

What was Las Vegas like in the early '60s for a handsome, young hero?
I was a kid. I didn't gamble. Didn't chase women. Fight and train.